When is it OK to keep wild predators as pets?

Some recent discussion here in the pets forum has compelled me to create this thread.

What do you think of the act of acquiring wild predators or perpetuating the hybridization of them for the sake of pet ownership? I know there are many people that advocate these things wholeheartedly and those that disagree.

I'm not attacking anyone, just would genuinely like to hear people's reasoning as to why its OK to keep cougars, tigers, wolves, bears etc as pets because I can't personally think of any good reasons myself. Enlighten us that disagree?

Thanks!

Well the foremost experts on this are Siegfried and Roy...

a reply to: Ashirah

I'm a fan of ownership of big predators like you're referring to; but in order to own one you must understand what you are dealing with, and how to properly deal with it.

As for Wolves and Hybrids ( seems to be a hot topic the last couple of days ), there is a lot of structure that you must implement to attain cohesion between yourself and the animal. You must also understand that it is very much still a wild animal, and will have tendencies that reflect that, that you may or may not have to combat.

Per other predators, cats and bears; I haven't owned either - but I have to assume that the same principles apply, and unless properly brought-up, you will have problems.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with owning such an animal; but it MUST have the proper environment and upbringing. To be a little more thorough with my take on this though; I do disagree with the private ownership of endangered or otherwise limited species.

Any species of the latter sort should be granted asylum in their native regions, and breeding programs should take place in controlled environments - but these environments must limit human interaction and replicate their native environment almost exactly, or we are altering behavior.

a reply to: Ashirah

I find it rather irresponsible to keep wild animals in captivity in general... the very idea of a zoo makes me ill

Though I do find it amusing that the same people who keep wolves or other vicious critters as pets, then end up getting their arm ripped off always wonder why it happened... and the animal is usually destroyed because of said persons stupidity

there is a reason why we have "domesticated" animals as pets... the wild is bred out of them...

a reply to: Akragon

Not cats!!! they can turn their wild side on and off.....best of both worlds for kitty kind .

I have mixed sentiments on this issue. When my wife was younger she worked at a game preserve in Louisiana where they kept tigers, lions, panthers, cheetahs, etcetera, that people were no longer able or willing to keep as pets. The preserve had an endowment that funded it so the animals were well taken care of. I thought the entire premise of trying to own a tiger was absurd.

Then I learned that there are more tigers owned by private citizens in the United States than in the wild (where retards hunt and kill them for mystical medicinal reasons). I now think it may not be a bad idea if they are properly cared for and allowed as much of a habitat as close to natural one as possible.

a reply to: Ashirah

When you have a permit from the proper authorities.

The problem with wild animals is that few have the resources and knowledge to keep these animals safely, including for animals. Having a tiger seems like a cool thing. It's my fav but don't have the space to keep. The money to feed and the knowledge as to what they need to keep them healthy. If one has the resources and will to keep them healthy fine. If not? Not a good idea.

a reply to: boymonkey74

Well yeah.... so can dogs actually...

a long while ago my friend had a family of feral cats in his barn... One of the kittens got stuck between the boards in one of the walls so I had to fish the little bugger out because my buddy simply didn't care... he would have been happy to leave the kitten there... and im just not cool with that kinda crap at all.

So I fashioned a noose type device and yanked him out of there after a bit of struggle... but this kitten came out of that hole like wolverine!! All weapons on full alert... but I thought "hey its just a kitten"...

HA!!

that little bastard ripped my hand to shreds... bit me a couple times before I grabbed his scruff, and he was still rippin on my hand after I did that... my only resort was to literally throw him into a cat cage and slam the door.

I was bleeding everywhere from the damage that kitten did to me... If he was full grown I can only imagine... and if it was a large cat... I probably would be dead! LOL

Ya... you don't mess with wild animals

If the person knows what they are doing, got plenty of space, big strong fences and show they can care and look after said animal...i dont see the problem, i know a person who has wolves, he has a lot of land, 16ft high fencing, signs every 10ft warning people whats on his land and to keep out for their safety. His pack are mostly friendly, but i wouldnt want to be in there without him. The pack are fed well, regular vet checks, and doesnt hesitate to call the vet if one has a problem he cant treat himself. Im all for responsible animal/pet owners, dangerous or not. If the animal looks healthy and happy, im happy!!
All the best.
B. V. H

originally posted by: intrepid
The problem with wild animals is that few have the resources and knowledge to keep these animals safely, including for animals. Having a tiger seems like a cool thing. It's my fav but don't have the space to keep. The money to feed and the knowledge as to what they need to keep them healthy. If one has the resources and will to keep them healthy fine. If not? Not a good idea.

Good reply. The problem is that there are too many people who think they can properly take care of such an animal only to find out when the animal grows to adulthood, it needs way more space and food and time that the owner can properly give. It is extremely important to not only care for the animal's physical well being but its emotional well being as well. Also, too often you see where an owner thinks its exotic pet has a big enough enclosure/cage/living area, when in reality it is the farthest from the truth. How content do people think these animals are? They are miserable!

In early November a few years back, I was walking up to my house and literally almost stepped on what I thought was a slug, I stopped my foot from crashing down into a big gooey mess.
As I hopped about a foot forward I noticed it was no slug. This was THE top of the food chain when it came to insects, it was a praying mantis. A big ol' fat female one. was probably on her death bed, about to lay a nest.

But at the time I had no idea about it's reproduction habits, and after investigating with a few pokes I thought it was dying of the cold, so I scooped it up and tossed it in my late Green tree frogs enclosure.
Next morning there she was hanging from some fake branches grooming herself.

I thought it was neat that I 'saved' this creature, and kept it as a pet until pretty much spring when she did finally lay eggs and I watched them all battle it out like sharks in the womb. Long story short about trying to get at least a few of the little guys to survive they all died, I couldn't find any food source other than hand feeding dead ants, but, when it did grow up it wouldn't know how to hunt and basically die, I would have to hand feed it every meal.

But, the mother was something else, best hunter I've ever seen, coolest pet I ever had as well. One day I will get another and attempt to keep it for generations. They can self impregnate themselves and make hundreds (yes hundreds) of little clones in one nest, it's pretty intense.

I know someone who has had wildcats and cares for them wonderfully. He even raised bobcats along with his domestic cats without a problem. He has also rescued bigger wild cats. This man and his wife have plenty of land and money and time to care for these animals properly. It is not for everyone and it is very expensive, time consuming and you need a LOT of land!

originally posted by: Night Star

I know someone who has had wildcats and cares for them wonderfully.

I want a boymonkey as a pet. I hear they are quite fascinating.

I will teach it how to smoke and drink and...

...oh, wait.

a reply to: Ashirah

I disagree with the idea of ownership of such an animal.

If a wolf or a tiger befriends you in the wild, by some insane happenstance, then that is one thing. But confining a wild predator to a compound, feeding it, removing its capacity and need to hunt, these things are anathema to them. It should only ever be considered when the animal is either abandoned and has not been taught to hunt, or when it has been injured to the point where it cannot hunt for itself, and even then it should only be considered when every possible effort has been made to retrain the animal.

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Ashirah

I find it rather irresponsible to keep wild animals in captivity in general... the very idea of a zoo makes me ill

Though I do find it amusing that the same people who keep wolves or other vicious critters as pets, then end up getting their arm ripped off always wonder why it happened... and the animal is usually destroyed because of said persons stupidity

there is a reason why we have "domesticated" animals as pets... the wild is bred out of them...

Some pretty big blanket statements there...

Not everyone gets their arm ripped off; and if you do - you probably deserved it. Having spent time with wolves specifically; I can attest to this personally. Piss them off, beat them, scare them - they might react; but that's on you for not knowing how to handle your animal. Anyone who 'wonders why' probably shouldn't have ever owned the animal in the first place - and anyone who hasn't owned one or spent extended time in ones company cannot attest to the counter statements.

Let me ask you - where do you suppose the 'domesticated' animals come from? Someone, somewhere, has to breed and raise generations upon generations of animals to achieve this. Every dog breed started with wolves. All of them.

Dachshunds are generally more likely to bite someone than a wolf pet is. Don't generalize.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Night Star

I know someone who has had wildcats and cares for them wonderfully.

I want a boymonkey as a pet. I hear they are quite fascinating.

I will teach it how to smoke and drink and...

...oh, wait.

lol Brilliant .
But you couldn't afford to keep the rare and exclusive Boymonkey.....only Nicole Kidman has a licence to own one.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: Akragon

Not cats!!! they can turn their wild side on and off.....best of both worlds for kitty kind

.

See my previous post.

originally posted by: Ashirah
Some recent discussion here in the pets forum has compelled me to create this thread.

What do you think of the act of acquiring wild predators or perpetuating the hybridization of them for the sake of pet ownership? I know there are many people that advocate these things wholeheartedly and those that disagree.

I'm not attacking anyone, just would genuinely like to hear people's reasoning as to why its OK to keep cougars, tigers, wolves, bears etc as pets because I can't personally think of any good reasons myself. Enlighten us that disagree?

Thanks!

In my opinion, it's never OK.

originally posted by: DigitalJedi805
a reply to: Ashirah

I'm a fan of ownership of big predators like you're referring to; but in order to own one you must understand what you are dealing with, and how to properly deal with it.

As for Wolves and Hybrids ( seems to be a hot topic the last couple of days ), there is a lot of structure that you must implement to attain cohesion between yourself and the animal. You must also understand that it is very much still a wild animal, and will have tendencies that reflect that, that you may or may not have to combat.

Per other predators, cats and bears; I haven't owned either - but I have to assume that the same principles apply, and unless properly brought-up, you will have problems.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with owning such an animal; but it MUST have the proper environment and upbringing. To be a little more thorough with my take on this though; I do disagree with the private ownership of endangered or otherwise limited species.

Any species of the latter sort should be granted asylum in their native regions, and breeding programs should take place in controlled environments - but these environments must limit human interaction and replicate their native environment almost exactly, or we are altering behavior.

How is this fair to the animal or doesn't that matter?